Happy New Year! United Spinal Association has big things planned for our community this year. But first, to get 2023 started right, we asked members of our program staff to share their resolutions or focus words.
1. Spend Time with Family
Our Chapter Relations Director Erin Gildner says that in 2023 she aims to be more present in everything she does.
“There is no greater gift you can give yourself or anyone else than the gift of your undivided attention,” says Erin, a paraplegic living in Bryant, Arkansas, with her husband and their two teenagers, Koen and Hagen. “My boys are growing up, and my grandparents are growing older, so every moment I can spend with my family should not be wasted — that time is too precious.”
2. Don’t Be So Critical of Yourself
Matt Castelluccio, our Community Support Director, is a bit of a wise guy. He says, “My goal in 2023 is to accomplish the goals I set in 2022, which I should have done in 2020 because I made the promise in 2019, which I planned to do in 2018. I don’t make resolutions because I never follow through.” Matt, a quadriplegic, lives with his wife, Elaine, and their twin boys, RJ and Dominic, in White Plains, New York.
Dad jokes aside, Matt says, “If I am going to set a trend for 2023, it will be to live in the moment and not be so critical of myself.”
3. Make Time for Yourself
Director of Employment and DEI Lesly St. Louis’ resolution is characteristically pragmatic. “My goal is to designate time for work, family and myself so that I can build a sustainable and successful year,” says Lesly. “In short, avoid burnout!”
Lesly has spina bifida and lives with his wife in New York along with their infant daughter. As with many new parents, time is on his mind. “I want to be more structured, so I’m not extending myself more than I need to. The more that I’m able to follow my timeline, the more it’s going to free me up to take care of everything outside of work, like my family and myself, and things like that.” Lesly already has a year of employment events planned for our members interested in getting a new job, so he’s well on his way.
Erin, Lesly, and Matt are leading Rolling Into Parenthood, a new group for parents who use wheelchairs. The virtual meetings take place every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern, and the first meeting is on Jan. 11. All parents who use wheelchairs are welcome.
4. Foster Gratitude
United Spinal Association Board of Directors Chapter Liaison Kimberly Hill doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions. “A few years ago, rather than make a New Year’s resolution, I decided to have a word of the year,” says Kimberly, who also directs our Louisiana chapter. “Each year, I put much thought into choosing the word that will be a focus for the year.”
Kimberly’s 2023 word is grateful.
“Life can get messy with challenges thrown in the way, but there is always something to be grateful for,” she says. “When life is positive, and things are going well, one should remember to be grateful. When we are doing things we might not like to do but are able to do, we should be grateful.”
Hill reminds us that when we focus on gratitude, our hearts are happier, and our problems are lessened a bit. “Positive attitudes prevail, and all these things can have a positive impact on all of those around you.”
5. Speak With Kindness
Unsurprisingly to those who know her, our Member Initiative Director Lindsey Elliott’s word for 2023 is compassion. To her, it means “to speak with kindness, listen carefully and without judgment and accept people for who they are!”
Lindsey coordinates our national peer support network of over 200 groups, counting the ones held by our chapters and hospital members. She lives in Twentynine Palms, California, with her husband, Randy, and their two boys, Austin and Dylan.
6. Stay Focused
Grassroots Advocacy Manager Annie Streit’s 2023 word is focus. “I have a lot of goals I want to accomplish in my personal and professional life, and I want to be more disciplined and focused on checking them off one by one,” she says. Annie, a quadriplegic, hosts our Advocacy Livestreams and writes books from her home in Angola, Indiana.
Do you have a resolution or focus word for 2023? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
The photo at the top of this article shows the Castellucio family. This article was written by Josie Byzek, our Director of Digital Experience and Content. For more information about all United Spinal’s chapters and programs, please contact our Community Supports team. Join us by signing up for a free membership. To support our mission, donate here.